Description of the Prior Act
This invention relates to cleaning devices in the nature of wet or dry mops, and in particular to connectors for assembling a handle to a plurality of cleaning elements or strings.
Cleaning devices such as mops are well known in the prior art. Such mops comprise a plurality of cleaning elements or strings made of a suitable absorbent yarn such as cotton which performs the cleaning function, a handle that is readily graspable by the mop's user and a connector whereby the cleaning elements are securely fastened to the handle. The design and configuration of a connector are important in terms of the structural security and the expectant life of the mop, as well as the manner in which the mop will function to clean either as a dry or wet mop. First, it is desired that the connector be made of a material other than metal, which has a tendency to scratch the surface to be cleaned. Further, metal connectors tend to rust or corrode thereby shortening the useful life of the mop. The connector should be easy and inexpensive to fabricate as well as to assemble in a manner whereby the cleaning elements are securely held to its handle. Further, the method of assembly should be a relatively simple, foolproof procedure. Mops of the prior art typically require a multi-piece connector and must be provided in a variety of sizes to accommodate the desired range of the mop size, i.e. a range of numbers of cleaning elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,975,004 of Safianoff discloses a connection device for a dust mop made of a plastic material that has a cyclindrical portion for receiving a mop handle and a grasping head including a locking flange that secures a mop head to the handle. More specifically, the mop head includes a support frame comprising a pivot bar that is designed to be disposed within a cylindrical opening of the grasping head and retained thereto by the locking flange. Such a mop is relatively expensive requiring complex construction of the support frame and the cleaning strings or elements to a cloth pocket, which is in turn secured by the support frame to the connection device.